In a battery module for electric cars or hybrid cars, electric cells having positive and negative electrode terminals are arranged in line. The electrode terminals of electric cells that are adjacent to each other are connected through a connecting member (bus bar) to connect a plurality of electric cells in series or parallel (See Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-067184
In the above configuration, as it is required to connect electrode terminals through a connecting member, it is required to attach a connecting member between each pair of electrode terminals, which is troublesome work. Therefore, it is conceivable to form a battery connection plate, in which a plurality of connecting members is integrally molded in resin, and to attach this battery connection plate to electric cells arranged in line to mount a plurality of connecting members at once.
However, in a case of using the battery connection plate where the plurality of connecting members is integrally molded, the number of the electric cells increases. Therefore, as the size of a mold forming the battery connection plate becomes larger, this increases the cost. In addition, there has been a problem that, when the number of electric cells is changed, it is required to prepare another new mold having a length corresponding to the number of electric cells, and to form a battery connection plate having a different length, resulting in increasing the cost for forming the mold and the like, which then increases manufacturing costs.
Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have come to conceive a battery connecting assembly having resin units corresponding to the number of connecting members, and connecting these units to each other to attach a plurality of electric cells thereto, instead of a battery connection plate where a plurality of connecting members are integrally molded.
Positive and negative electrode terminals project from electric cells. Therefore, arranging the plurality of electric cells side by side makes the electrode terminals arranged in multiple lines. To connect the plurality of batteries in series or parallel, the electrode terminals arranged in the plurality of lines may need to be connected by each line. A specific description will be made as follows. In a case that a plurality of electric cells is connected in series or parallel, electrode terminals of every two adjacent electric cells are connected through a connecting member in one line. On the other hand, in the other line, electrode terminals of every two adjacent electric cells are connected through a connecting member in a manner that the two adjacent electric cells of the other line are displaced by one electric cell with respect to the two adjacent connected electric cells of the one line.
Accordingly, at the time that electric cell connection assemblies each having a plurality of connecting members are installed line by line, the battery connecting assembly of one line must be installed in a place displaced from the battery connecting assembly of the other line by one electric cell. After the battery connecting assembly is connected to one line, if the installation position of the other battery connecting assembly to the other line is made wrongly, it is concerned that not only the electric cells cannot be connected in series or the like, but also the electric cells may be short-circuited.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a battery connecting assembly configured to prevent an error in the installation position, and the like.
A battery connecting assembly accommodating a plurality of connecting members connecting electrode terminals adjacent to each other in an electrode terminal group of each line in a battery module, in which a plurality of electric cells each having a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal is aligned to form the plurality of electrode terminal groups of the plurality of lines, including: a first coupling unit having a plurality of individual units each accommodating the connecting member, and configured by coupling the individual units adjacent to each other; a second coupling unit having a plurality of individual units each accommodating the connecting member, and configured by coupling the individual units adjacent to each other, and arranged side by side with the first coupling unit; and a positioning member connected to the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit to position the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit relatively.
According to the above configuration, the battery connecting assembly prevents a short circuit and the like due to, for example, a wrong assembly position of the second coupling unit with respect to the first coupling unit because the positions of the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit are defined by the positioning member.
According to the present invention, a wrong installation position of a battery connecting assembly is prevented.